Wednesday, 15 March 2017

So as Syd started reminiscing about Summer it made me jealous and thought I would do a post on possibly one of the best trips I have ever been on. It's always been a dream of mine to visit Los Angeles due to the fast-pace lifestyle, the beaches and of course celebrities (although I didn't meet Chris Brown, I met Silver from 90210 which was good enough).

If you know me or follow me on Instagram (@eviegavriel), you'd know I love a good sunset...and I was lucky enough to catch this.

On my first full day I decided to take on the role of a typical tourist and visit the places such as Melrose Avenue, Downtown Hollywood, The Farmers Market and The Hollywood sign (which was a huge disappointment because its really not as big as I expected it to be). I managed to get a photo infront of the infamous 'pink wall' which is the Paul Smith wall on Melrose Avenue and is actually the most instagrammed wall....

Obviously, as a massive Disney fan; I had to visit the original Disney Land in Burbank. It was one of my favourite days being in the happiest places Earth! I had such a good day although jet lag was such a drag and I found it really difficult to stay up late on my first couple of days. On my last day in LA I visited places such as Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills and West Hollywood. I heard so many mixed reviews on LA but I was determined to visit and make my own judgement. Im so glad I did because it is probably one of my favourite places I have visited. I loved it so much and am planning on returning hopefully in the near future!

As sad as I was to leave LA, I was intrigued to see Las Vegas and if it was as tacky and over the top as everyone had claimed. It was very different to LA but honestly just as good. I was probably a bit too excited to see Caesars Palace just because it reminded me of the Hangover....One thing I can say about Vegas is that it is HUUUGE. The hotels were massive, they all had shopping malls, clubs, casinos and Caesars palace had an arena in it. I went to see Celine Dion in Caesars Palace and she was AAAMAZING!! Although LA and Vegas were completely different, I loved them both equally and cannot wait to return.

One of my favourite parts of this trip was that there was a Sephora everywhere I looked. I will be posting my Sephora Haul very soon!!!

As my 21st birthday celebrations come to an end, I wanted to share my favourite outfit that I wore. I went out for dinner with my friends in London; so wanted something dressy and also something which would be appropriate for a night out. As I'm at university I never get to really dress up so I took this opportunity to look nice rather than going out in my usual university attire.

Since it's mid exam/deadline period the summer blues are taking their toll so I thought I'd reminisce and share some of the best bits from my holiday in Barcelona

So first of all, this may have been one of my favourite/best breakfasts of all time. Everything about this brunch place was so cute, the wooden tables and chairs and the cute presentation of the food. I got avocado on toast with two poached eggs and the avocado was mixed with feta and some kind of salsa that just made it amazing. They also did acai bowls and bagels which were insane. Something for the sweet tooths was this nutella french toast with a caramelised banana, it was so tasty but I couldn't have more than one spoonful without feeling full for the rest of the day.

This brunch place was located around the harbour but most breakfast places in Barcelona seemed to have the same-ish menus.

Another amaaaaazing restaurant we went to was Empire, it was a sushi restaurant on the harbour next to all the beach clubs. Any sushi I've had since has not been up to scratch and the cocktails were so good.

Although I didn't get to do much sightseeing La Sagrada Familia was honestly mesmerising!! I've never taken an interest in architecture but it was so beautiful to see in person. We also went to Park Guell but we didn't buy tickets so we could only walk outside the park, the view was great though.

The beach in Barcelona was high above expectations, apart from the obscene amount of naked people obviously in the nude areas, it was such a pretty beach especially to rent a bike a cycle all the way along.

The nightlife in Barcelona was fun, we went to an event called the Barcelona Beach Festival and covered ourselves in a bunch of Go Get Glitter's glitter sets. I used all the gold ones because I thought it suited my blonde hair best and intensified my tan a bit (a bit) and obviously put some of the pinker colours on my eyes because thats pretty much the only colour I put on my eyes during summer!
My go-to summer lip colour was my In Anticipation lipliner and Snob lipstick from MAC

We also went to various beach clubs like Carpe Diem, Opium and Pacha which were fun but a bit pricey. We went to Sutton club in Barcelona city as well which was so good, great music but not as touristy as the beach clubs

Barcelona was by far one of my favourite holidays and I can't wait to go back again!!

I don't know the last time I bought a foundation but I've just run out of my all time fav YSL touche eclat concealer so to cover my blemishes I'm back to using the Maybelline concealer.

Beauty blender is obviously a must and for the rest of my face I use the ABH contour kit and Charlotte Tilbury Bronze and Glow palette, the colour is perfect for my skin tone, not too warm or too dark and the Charlotte Tilbury Cheek to Chic blush in First Love is great for my skin tone on an everyday basis too.

I don't always wear highlighter because sometimes I don't fancy the shiney look but if I do I always go for MAC Soft 'n' Gentle it is the perfect highlighter shade I recommend it to everyone!

For my eyebrows I have tried and tested so many drugstore and high end products and after being introduced to ABH dipbrow pomade I can honestly say I will never use anything else! I use the colour chocolate and I've had it for a few months now and for something I use everyday a little goes a long way. Sometimes it can be a bit too pigmented and dramatic so I also have a rimmel eyebrow pencil that I use for the inner part of my eyebrows to avoid the boxey, harsh look.

I've tried so many different eye liners and never really found one I'm overly keen on, at the moment I'm using the Too Faced '3 Way' Lash Lining Eyeliner Tool, I find it so easy to work with and stays put all day.

Benefit Roller Lash mascara is my favourite so far I love using eyelash curlers to get curly long lashes and this mascara compliments that perfectly.

Finally the last thing I do is put on a bit of the Too Faced Lip Injection as I'm a fan of gloss over matte at the moment!

S x

I start off with my 'go-to' foundation- Studio Fix Fluid by Mac in the colour NC35. I love this foundation as you can make it as full coverage as you wish. For everyday, I apply a smaller amount to just make my skin tone look more even.

I then use the pro-longwear concealer in the colour NC20- a touch lighter than my foundation to highlight and conceal my under eye to hide my dark circles. To apply both my foundation and concealer I use my beauty blender pro sponge which is amazing as it makes sure everything is blended in together and smoothly.

I tend to dab my face with the damp beauty blender for a while to make sure the product is soaked into my face, ensuring that it lasts all day.

To set I use my Laura Mercier translucent powder which is honestly one of the best products I have ever used. One thing I find with setting powders is that after a while they leave creases- especially under your eyes. However, this sets my face really smoothly ensuring I don't have to touch up my face throughout the day.

I then do my eyebrows with the Anastasia Beverly Hills dip brow pomade which also stays on all day and helps define my natural eyebrow shape.

I then use the Chanel Healthy Glow Sheer Powder in the colour 'Les Beiges' to slightly contour my cheekbones, adding some definition to my face. I LOVE this product as it's not as harsh as my ABH contour kit for during the day.

I then use the eyeshadow RIFF by Urban Decay as its a perfect natural looking transition colour for an everyday look. Alongside with my Kat Von D tattoo liner which is perfect for precision in making a winged eyeliner look. Finishing off my eyes, I use the Better Than Sex mascara by Too-Faced which is the best mascara I have ever used.

To finish off my everyday look I use my ABH Glow Kit to just add a bit of shine to my cheek bones, inner corner of my eyes, brow bone and nose.